gilmer



E. E. GILMER.

CASTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20, 1915.

Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

Aifomey E. E. GILMER.

CASTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20. 1915.

l 1 93., 375 S Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

v E jji WITNESSES WJWSMYM j/WWINVENTOR,

CASTING-MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ERNEST E. GILMER, a

citizen. of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented a new and useful Casting-Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to casting machines,.and its object is to provide a machine whereby castings may be made expeditiously, and to a great extent automatically.

The invention comprises an endless conveyer or carrier on which one or more molds are supported, tracks being associated with the carrier to sustain the molds and the mold tracks have coacting parts periodically brought into engagement to open'up the molds after the casting operation has been performed, for the escape of the cast objects and the closing of the molds for the next casting operation in order.

The invention further contemplates the provision of means for cooling the molds and also for spraying the molding chambers with. a suitable compound, whereby sticking of the metal to the dies or molds is prevented and the operation of opening the molds correspondingly facilitated.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the further understanding that while the drawings show' a practical form of the invention, the latter is not confined to any strict conformity with the'showing of the drawings, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications come within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation, with some parts broken away, of a casting machinemore or less schematically represented. Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of the molds and a small portion of the conveyer chain and tracks. Fig. 3 is a crosssection of the upper run of the conveyer and tracks and also illustrating the mold closing members in end elevation. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of one of the molds in conjunction with a closing strip therefor. Fig. 5 is'a similar view of one of the molds in conjunction with the opening strip therefor.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 11916.

Application filed July 20, 1915. Serial No. 40,997.

on a suitable flooring, and at their upper ends carrying track rails 2 which in the particular showing of the drawings are of angle metal. The rails 2 are made of sufiiclent length for the purposes, and a suitable number of posts 1 are provided for properly carrying the track rails. At opposite ends of the track the upper and lower rails are provided with return bends 3, 4, respectively, and at these bends are posts 5. 6, respectively. The posts 5 carry a shaft 7 7 having journal supports thereon, and this shaft carries sprocket wheels 8 about which travel sprocket chains 9, there being. a sprocket wheel 8 and chain 9 adjacent to each track rail 2. The posts 6 have mounted thereon a shaft 10 carrying sprocket wheels 11 about which the chains 9 travel, the wheels 11 serving as idler sprocket wheels.

Mounted on the shaft 7 is a pulley 12 driven by a belt 13 receiving power through intermediate pulleys and belts from a motor 14, the intermediate pulleys and belts representing any suitable speed reducing means whereby the motor 14, which may be taken as an electric motor, drives the chains 9 at an appropriate linear speed.

The chains 9 carry molds 15 of any appropriate type made up of two members 16 and 17 carried by and slidable lengthwise of bars 18 near the ends. These bars arejoined at their extremities by end bars 19, while the bars 18 terminate in pintles 20 carrying:

wheels or rollers 21 adapted to'the tracks 2..

The chains 9 are made fast in any appropriate manner to the bars 18 on opposite sides of the mold sections 16 and 17, so that the molds participate in the progressive travel of the chains 9.

Mounted in the connecting bars 19 so as to turn axially therein are screw-threaded rods 22, 23, respectively. These rods .are mounted in the bars 19 to turn therein without longitudinal progression. The bars 22 and 23 are in alinement and each enters a suitably threaded passage in a boss 24 on a respective mold section 16 or 17. The arrangement is such that on the simultaneous rotation of the rods 22 and 23 in one direction they move into the threaded openings in the bosses 24 and as the bars 19 are at a fixed distance apart such .entering of the rods 22 and 23 into the bosses 24 causes a movement of the mold sections 16 and 17 away from each other, these mold sections meeting at an intermediate point and each being provided with an appropriate portion of a molding cavity indicated 1n dotted lines in Fig. 3. When the rods 22 and 23 are rotated in the opposite direction the molding sections 16 and 17 are caused to approach until they are in firmcontact at their 19, and each lever has two arms 28, 29, re-

spectively, terminating in a roller 30.

At appropriate points along each rail 2 and at a higherlevel than the rail is a strip 31' having an upturned curved end 32 in the path of the roller on the arm 28'0f each lever 27, there being a strip 31 on each side of the structure. There are alsoother strips 33 on opposite sides of the structure at a lower level than the track 2, and in the path of the roller 30 of the arm'29 of each lever 27 The strips 33 terminate in downwardly curved extremities 34.

The levers 27 are so arranged with relation to the rods 22 and 23 carrying them that one 1 or the other of the arms 28 and 29 is at substantially right angles to the line of travel of the mold, while the other arm is about in such line of travel. The arm 28 of-each lever 27 when at right angles to the line of travel is upright, while the arm 29 is under the same circumstances pendent. Furthermore, the arrangement is such that when the arms 28 are in upstanding position the mold section 16 and 17 are separated and when the arms 29 are in depending position the mold sections 16 and, 17 are in face to face engagement. 'When the levers 27 of any mold have been engaged by the strips 31 and the arms 28 have been brought to a horizontal position with the rollers 30 underriding the a strip 31, the mold sections 16 and .17 are in face to face engagement and are so held by the strips 31. At this time the molten metal is poured into the mold cavities and the casting operation is performed. The travel of the molds is at such a rate and for such a distance that the cast metal has time enough to solidify before the rollers 30 of the arms 28 move out of engagement with the strips 31. After this occurs the rollers 30 of the arms 29 come in contact with the .ends 34: of

the strips 33 and the mold sections are separated sufficiently to release the cast article and the latter thereupon gravitates from the mold. At such point the molds travel over a chute 35 into which the cast articles are deposited for such deposition as may be desired.

Beyond the chute 35in the line of travel of the molds 15 is a trough 36 from which arise spraying pipes 37 so arranged as to di-' rect cooling water or other fluid upon the molds while passing over the trough 36. The cooling water may be supplied by any suitable means, such as from service mains or the like. At an appropriate point there is mounted apump 38 which may be driven by a belt 39 from the pulley 12 and this pump is provided witha nozzle 4:0 for; injecting or spraying a suitable compound into the molds as they pass beneath it, which compound is designed to prevent metals from sticking to the molding chambers of the molds, so that the members 16 and 17 of the molds are easily opened for the removal of the cast articles. 7 I

The machine is progressive in operation, the conveyer of the molds traveling continuously. The-metal .is poured at a proper point in the progress of the molds, and while the latter are held closed together by the strips 31 and the molded articles arefreleasedfrom the molds when the arms 29, which are in the pendent position during the pouring of the metal into the mold, reach the strips 33, whereupon the molds are opened in timeto dropthe cast articles into the chute 35.

What is claimed is 1. A casting machine comprising an endless conveyer with divided molds thereon, each having oppositely-acting actuating means for separating and closing together the mold sections, means to close the molds, and other means for operating the actuating means'to open the molds, both of said operating means being located in the line of travel of ,portions of the actuating means and spaced apart in the line of travel for a distance to permit the pouring of the metal into and the cooling of the metal in the molds after said molds'are closed and before they are opened.

2. A casting machine comprising a traveling support with two-part molds thereon, oppositely acting screws connected to the two parts of the mold for moving said parts simultaneously in a direction to separate them or to close them, controlling members on the screws, and means located in and [spaced apart lengthwise of the path of travel of the controlling members for a dis tance to permit the pouring of the metal into and its solidification in the molds after the molds are closed and before they are opened. I

3. A casting machine, comprising an endless conveyer having cross bars with Wheels at the extremities, tracks for the wheels, molds each comprising sections mounted on the cross bars and slidable lengthwise of said bars in a direction laterally of the length of the conveyer, each mold section having a threaded passage on the side remote from the other mold section, screws mounted on the conveyer and engaging the threaded passages on the molds, said screws having threads of opposite pitch to cause the separation or approach of the mold sections by the simultaneous movement of the screws in the same direction, an angle lever for each screw, and elongated controlling strips in fixed relation to the conveyer and 4. A casting machine comprising a series of divided molds with means for causing them to travel progressively, means for causing the closing and opening of the molds by moving the mold sections together or apart, means for receiving cast articles discharged from the molds, means for discharging cooling liquid simultaneously upon the matching parts of each mold after the casting is discharged, and means for directing other liquid simultaneously upon thematching parts of each mold to prevent sticking of molten metal thereto.

5. A casting machine comprising a series of divided molds With means for causing them to travel progressively, means for causing the closing and opening of the molds by moving the mold sections to gether or apart, means for receiving cast articles discharged from the molds, means for discharging cooling liquid simultaneously upon the matching parts of each of the molds after the castings are discharged, and means for directing other liquid simultaneously upon the matching parts of each mold to prevent sticking of molten metal thereto, the second-named means for discharging liquid upon the molds being located to act upon the molds subsequent to the cooling of the molds.

' 6. A casting machine comprising an endless series of traveling divided molds, means in the path of the molds for causing the ap-' proach and separation of the matching mold sections at different points in the course of travel, means for directing cooling liquid into the open 'molds simultaneously against the matching parts thereof, and means for directing other liquid into the open molds simultaneously against the matching parts thereof after being cooled and before being again closed to prevent sticking of molten metal deposited therein.

7. A casting machine comprising a sectional mold, means for opening and closing the mold members while traveling progressively to receive molten material and to discharge the casting, means for discharging cooling liquid simultaneously upon the sections of the mold after the discharging of the casting, and means in the further progress of the mold members for directing liquid simultaneously upon the sections of the mold to prevent sticking of molten metal thereto.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afl'lxed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST E. GILMER. Witnesses GEO. L. MASTEN, W H. CHAMBERS. 

